Idaho Festival Celebrates Basque Culture, History

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — One of the largest Basque communities in the United States will spend the next five days celebrating the traditional Jaialdi festival in southwestern Idaho.

An estimated 35,000 to 50,000 people are expected to attend the five-day party —which starts Tuesday in Boise— as a showcase of the culture. The festival originally started in 1987, and has been held every five years starting in 1990 ever since.

Officials say roughly 7,900 Basques live in Idaho, making it one of the top concentrations in the world behind the Basque homeland on the Spanish-French border, Argentina and California.

The event will include traditional sports, choirs, musicians and folk dancing, as well as religious services for the largely Catholic Basque population.